Comments on Silver Spring, Singular: Water Tower WTF

Just reading this blog for the first time... I re...

2010-04-29T22:00:30.818-05:00

Just reading this blog for the first time...

I remember when that water tower was dubbed "The Great Pumpkin!" It was indeed orange at the time. I must have been about 11 or 12, so it was 1968 or 1969. Thanks for that memory jog!

Please let me know if anyone has any other photos ...

2010-03-08T17:02:42.079-05:00

Please let me know if anyone has any other photos of this water tower.

I'm putting together a blog post of missed opportunities that local city planners & community leaders should review.

...honestly, this thing should have an awesome mural on it.

It would be fantastic and put that little business strip on the map.

Oh, man - I really miss the "Surrender Dorothy." I...

2010-01-06T17:16:21.559-05:00

Oh, man - I really miss the "Surrender Dorothy." It was a sad day when they covered it up. Maybe some enterprising gymnasts can attempt it again? I'm just sayin'

WashingtonGardener - they have actually consolidat...

2010-01-05T22:22:20.022-05:00

WashingtonGardener - they have actually consolidated some of the overhead lines over the past 2 or 3 years so its not quite as much eye pollution as it was a while back. The removal of the billboards back in '05/'06 also helped out a lot, so I feel like they are headed in the right direction. However much work still has to be done to make that 1/2 mile strip of retail blight somewhat attractive.

Anon - Mont Hills will also need those frigging po...

2010-01-05T11:43:57.179-05:00

Anon - Mont Hills will also need those frigging power lines/polls removed/buried, if it ever hopes for a facelift - right now going down Ga Ave to the beltwat it just looks like a forest of dead trees strung together

Yes, eating Doritos and washing them down with Mou...

2010-01-05T10:52:11.224-05:00

Yes, eating Doritos and washing them down with Mountain Dew.

Go to work? I thought bloggers were supposed to s...

2010-01-05T09:30:32.281-05:00

Go to work?

I thought bloggers were supposed to sit in their jammies at the keyboard all day.

I'll do what I can, but sometimes it's hard when T...

2010-01-04T20:08:11.668-05:00

I'll do what I can, but sometimes it's hard when The Man makes me "go to work" and what not.

Sligo, you've always been a good source of Silver ...

2010-01-04T19:34:15.884-05:00

Sligo, you've always been a good source of Silver Spring info, and have often gotten the scoop on shit way before the other local blogs, but the Penguin tended to post more often and be just a little bit more current on some of the openings/closings type of stories. However, we're sure that you'll be able to fill the void left by the Penguin.

???

2010-01-04T16:00:41.624-05:00

???

You're snooty. True washington style.

2010-01-04T15:54:13.695-05:00

You're snooty. True washington style.

A few years back, I recall hearing that they were ...

2010-01-04T15:32:56.407-05:00

A few years back, I recall hearing that they were going to build a 20-story office building in the spot presently occupied by Kinko's, Rite Aid, etc. Perhaps that is finally coming to pass. Things move slowly in MoCo.

There is a rezoning sign up (well, it fell down in...

2010-01-04T15:29:37.674-05:00

There is a rezoning sign up (well, it fell down in the wind)in front of Kinkos/FedEx on East West Hwy. Any idea of what they're looking to do?

You are implying that I wasn't already.

2010-01-04T13:30:20.008-05:00

You are implying that I wasn't already.

Ok SS Singular, with the news that the Penguin is ...

2010-01-04T13:20:18.358-05:00

Ok SS Singular, with the news that the Penguin is closing down at the end of the week, you will become the #1 source of news and info for the SS scene. We're counting on you to pick up the slack and hit the streets of our fair town.

While realizing the necessity of a water tank, I'm...

2010-01-03T17:16:26.889-05:00

While realizing the necessity of a water tank, I'm wondering whether modern technology would allow us to replace that huge monstrosity with something much smaller and much more attractive. I really think that if Montgomery Hills is going to continue to improve its image then the Water tank has to be addressed.

CP, thanks for the clarification! And thanks, Slig...

2010-01-02T18:40:58.446-05:00

CP, thanks for the clarification! And thanks, Sligo, for noticing.

CP, do you know anything about a so-called "flying saucer" or "starship one" abandoned water tank? There was a lot of talk going around in the late 1970s and early 1980s of a party place that was evidently a hilltop low-tower or ground-mounted water tank, supposedly people had to crawl through a long pipe, and urban legend was that if you stayed in there for more than 5 minutes you'd use up all of the air and once a year the WSSC (so the story goes) would send around a crew wearing scuba tanks to remove the bones of people who didn't heed the warnings. ;)

Anyone want to start a blog collecting MoCo Weirdness? Things like "Surrender Dorothy", the "Great Pumpkin" and the 'Cloverleaf to Nowhere" would all qualify.

If it's that little space that was already a cafe,...

2010-01-02T16:34:24.981-05:00

If it's that little space that was already a cafe, yeah, that started out as a branch of Savory. It's really tiny - not a lot of seats for the laptoppers to hang out.

Thanks for the clarification. I kept hearing that ...

2010-01-02T07:29:29.153-05:00

Thanks for the clarification. I kept hearing that it was in Takoma Park, though the press release confirms the DC location.

Mayorga isn't going in where Savory used to be, on...

2010-01-01T22:29:38.276-05:00

Mayorga isn't going in where Savory used to be, on Carroll Ave. It's going in closer to the Takoma Metro station (in a location which may have been a Savory outpost at some point). The address is in the press release at http://www.mayorgacoffee.com/ (and this is what the guy behind the counter told me a couple days ago, too).

Wow, I had no idea if I'd get an answer, let alone...

2010-01-01T21:52:59.084-05:00

Wow, I had no idea if I'd get an answer, let alone so quickly. Thanks!

> Do the words "The Great Pumpkin" > imply that t...

2010-01-01T21:35:40.297-05:00

> Do the words "The Great Pumpkin"
> imply that the silhouette of
> the water tower looms over
> the Montgomery Hills neighborhood
> in a manner similar to The
> Great Pumpkin over a
> Charles Schultz pumpkin patch?
> Or is the tank supposed
> to resemble a big pumpkin?

Wow, this brings back memories.

At some point in the distant past (1970's?), there was a much smaller water storage tank on this site, which the WSSC dismantled to replace with the structure there today.

The WSSC proceeded to build this "new" tank, and the (unpainted) steel as delivered was an orange color, and as the tank started to assume its shape (I believe the steel was hoisted into place and the joints welded), it did indeed look like a large pumpkin, looming over Montgomery Hills, and during the fall of that year, it was labeled by parties unknown as The Great Pumpkin.

Eventually the entire tank was painted in that baby blue color, and the graffiti was covered over and forgotten by most. I suppose that the paint has aged to the point that those letters are now showing through again.

I like a good mystery, and I tried a few Google se...

2010-01-01T21:27:02.234-05:00

I like a good mystery, and I tried a few Google searches without any luck. I did find this interesting water tower.